Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy issued a stark warning Friday, giving Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko one week to remove equipment stationed in Belarus that Russia has been using to carry out attacks on Ukraine — and threatening Ukrainian action if the deadline is not met.
Zelenskiy stated that signal relay stations are positioned in two Belarusian regions along the Ukrainian border, and that Russian forces have been using them to help guide strikes against Ukrainian civilians. Reuters was unable to independently confirm those claims.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv, Zelenskiy challenged Lukashenko’s insistence that Belarus does not want to be part of the conflict. “What’s the point of saying he doesn’t want to be in the war? Let him remove this equipment, let him switch it off. I think a week will be enough for him to do that,” Zelenskiy said.
He then added a pointed warning: “If he doesn’t do it, we’ll do it” — offering no further details on what that would mean.
Over recent months, Zelenskiy has repeatedly cautioned that Russia intends to pull Belarus deeper into the ongoing war. Russian troops used Belarusian soil as a launching point when they first invaded Ukraine back in February 2022.
Last month, Lukashenko brushed aside suggestions that his country would become more deeply entangled in the conflict, though he did say Belarus and Russia would jointly defend themselves if faced with aggression. Earlier this week, in an interview with Al Arabiya television, Lukashenko said Ukraine had nothing to fear from Belarus and called on both sides to make compromises to bring the war to an end.
Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine this week of carrying out a fatal drone strike on a bus transporting Belarusian children through Russian territory. Ukraine denied any involvement. One woman accompanying the children was killed, and eight people were injured in the incident — among them six children. Belarus’ Foreign Ministry responded by demanding “complete explanations” from Ukraine.
Belarus has been Russia’s most steadfast ally throughout the war. Russian drones have been documented crossing Belarusian airspace while targeting Ukraine, and Belarus has announced the deployment of Russia’s Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile system. The two countries also conducted joint nuclear drills in May.
